Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Picture Book Monday - A review of Martha, No!

When my daughter was little, I seemed to spend a large proportion of my time telling her "NO!" Occasionally she paid attention to me. More often she didn't. Today picture book title was of course written for children, but it will also appeal to parents, teachers, and other people who have little children in their lives. If you say "No" a lot to a child on a daily basis, this book will surely make you smile.

Edward Hardy
Illustrated by Deborah Allwright
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Egmont, 2012, 978-1-60684-266-9
   Today Martha Felicity Molly-Anne May is going to meet her “sparkling new nanny.” Miss Harrington-Chive is going to take care of Martha for the day, and she is confident that she and Martha will do just fine. After all, Nanny has looked after “hundreds of children.” Nanny does not heed Mother’s warning about Martha’s tendency to scare nannies off, convinced that “angelic” Martha is going to be no problem at all.
   They are not out long before Nanny finds out that Martha is rather a handful. In the park she gets blown out of a sousaphone, in the museum she climbs the T. Rex, and at lunchtime she tries to spin pizza dough with disastrous results.
  One would think that a playground would be a safe place to take Martha, but Nanny soon finds out that it is not the case when Martha digs a tunnel from the sandpit into the middle of a busy street. Is this nanny going to throw in the towel just like all the other nannies did?
   Children are going to laugh out loud when they see what Martha does, and how she drives her new nanny to distraction. Here is a little girl who knows what she wants, and who is not afraid to do what she wants. Heaven help any adult who tries to tame her. 
   With wonderfully amusing illustrations and a story that will resonate with children, this is a picture book that will become a firm favorite with young readers. 

No comments:

Bookmark and Share